My Apple iPod Touch 64GB (3rd Generation) was suffering from very poor battery life and it is less than 8 months old. At the advice of a good friend of mine, I decided to bring it to an Apple Store. Using the Support section on Apple’s website, I settle on the Apple Store in the Danbury Fair Mall and I made an appointment for 5:00PM. Drawing from past experience with other companies and their poor support structure, I was expecting to have to buy another iPod Touch or at the very least, pay for the repair even though my iPod is within warranty.

I stepped in the Apple Store and couldn’t believe how busy they were. There were probably about 10 or more individuals wearing blue shirts buzzing around this top floor alcove and another forty people poking and pronging the iDevices on display. With my barely alive iPod in hand, I head straight to the Genius Bar. Immediately a woman comes up to me and asks if I would like to make an appointment. Mind you, there are people going back and forth between the four tables with iDevice displays and yet this woman ignores them and helps me. I explain to her I made an appointment for 5PM and she simply smiles and logs a description of what I’m wearing into this huge iMac. She tells me to go browse the products and someone would be with me shortly.

I pick up an iPad aka the BIG ASS iPod Touch and start playing with it. Out of nowhere, a guy in his early 20’s greets me, tells me his name (don’t remember it) and asks what is wrong with my iPod. I tell him that my iPod Touch battery drains quickly whenever I use it, even listening to music for an hour drains it near death. I hand him my iPod and he inspects it right there. He notices that I only have iOS4 installed and not iOS 4.0.2, explaining that iOS 4.0 can cause battery issues. I thought here we go with placing the fault on the end user, but he said “Let me run some diagnostic tests”. I agreed and he quickly disappeared in the crowd of people.

I stood there waiting with my left hand in my pocket holding my wallet, readying it. Within five minutes he was back and told me what I already knew, my battery life wasn’t charging fully. Then he asked, “Do you have your iPod backed up?” I said yes and he told me he was going to replace my iPod Touch with a brand new one free of charge. In addition, he asked if I had my headphones with me. Again I said yes and I handed them over to him. He smiled and rush into the room labeled “Employees Only”.

Two minutes later, I signed a piece of paper and I had a brand new iPod Touch and headphones. This entire event shocked me. You can say that Antennagate and Apple’s initial response (“just don’t hold the phone that way) ruined my perception of Apple, but I can happily say that this experience renewed my trust in their products or I should say their customer service. While I would never buy an iMac or any other computer from Apple (I don’t like locked down systems), I will continue to purchase their iPods.

My first visit to an Apple Store helped me see that Apple products are hugely popular regardless of what the media claims and that Apple customer service is the best I have experienced in a long time. Keep up the good work Apple.

(Editor’s Note: It is important to note that while I may knock Apple for going after my beloved Blackberry, I will set aside my bias when I do have something good to say about them.)